Excessive texting may signal mental illness

People who send large numbers of text messages and emails may
have a mental disorder, a doctor writing in a leading psychiatric
journal said.

Jerald Block, writing in the latest issue of the American
Journal Of Psychiatry, said "internet addiction" was a "common
disorder" that deserved inclusion in a manual of mental disorders
used by health professionals.

Those with the condition suffered withdrawal symptoms of anger
and tension when a computer was inaccessible, and often lost their
sense of time through excessive use, Dr Block said.

Other symptoms included feeling "the need for better computer
equipment, more software, or more hours of use", and having
arguments, lying, social isolation and fatigue, he said.

Excessive gaming, sexual preoccupations and excessive text
messages and emails were all evidence of having the disorder, he
said.

It was difficult to know how widespread the illness was, Dr
Block said.

"Attempts to measure the phenomenon are clouded by shame,
denial, and minimisation," he wrote.